Elara's POV
The pain hit me like lightning.
Father's hands pressed harder on my shoulders. Caspian's grip on my wrist turned to iron. Vivienne's nails dug into my other arm.
And then I felt it—my magic being ripped away.
"Stop!" I screamed, trying to pull free. "What are you doing?"
But the magic circle blazed brighter, trapping me in place. Dark energy swirled around us like a tornado. The crowd gasped, but nobody moved. Nobody helped.
"Hold her still," Father commanded, his voice cold and empty.
My knees buckled. The pain was everywhere—in my chest, my bones, my soul. It felt like they were pulling me apart from the inside.
Ash roared somewhere behind me. I heard him fighting, snarling, desperate to reach me. But magical chains wrapped around him, yanking him back. His howls echoed through the ballroom, making my heart break even as my magic burned away.
"Caspian, please," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "I love you. Why are you—"
He yanked me closer, his perfect smile twisted into something cruel. "Love?" He laughed, and it sounded like breaking glass. "You silly girl. This was never about love."
The magic circle pulsed. Another wave of agony crashed through me.
"Your family's power is legendary," Caspian continued, his voice soft and terrible. "The Thornwood grimoire. The ancient magic. Did you really think I wanted you? I wanted what you could give me."
Each word stabbed deeper than any spell.
Vivienne giggled—actually giggled—beside him. "She really believed you loved her. How pathetic."
I stared at my sister through blurry vision. "Viv... we're family..."
"You were always Father's favorite," she spat. "Always the perfect daughter. Always more powerful. Always everything." Her fingers dug harder into my arm. "Well, now I get to take it all."
The ritual symbols on the floor burned brighter. My magic was flowing out of me like water through a broken dam. I could see it—golden light streaming from my chest, splitting into three directions. Into Father. Into Caspian. Into Vivienne.
They were drinking my power like starving animals.
"Father," I sobbed, looking up at the man who taught me my first spell. "Please. I'm your daughter."
His face remained stone. "The Thornwood legacy is more important than one weak girl. Your magic will strengthen the family. It's your duty."
Weak? After everything—
"I trusted you," I whispered.
"That," Father said coldly, "was your mistake."
The crowd watched in silence. All those important witches and wizards. All those powerful families. And not a single person stepped forward.
Mira was screaming my name, trying to push through the crowd, but guards blocked her path.
Ash's howls had turned desperate, almost human. Elara! ELARA!
I tried to reach for our bond, that golden thread connecting us since I was seven. But my magic was almost gone. The thread was fraying, breaking apart.
I'm sorry, I thought toward him. I'm so sorry.
"Almost there," Caspian murmured, his eyes glowing with stolen power. "Just a little more—"
Something inside me snapped.
Not my magic—something else. Something deeper.
The world went fuzzy. I couldn't feel my legs anymore. Couldn't feel anything except emptiness where my power used to live.
"It's done," Father announced, releasing me.
Caspian and Vivienne let go at the same time.
I crumpled to the floor like a broken doll.
The marble was cold against my cheek. I tried to push myself up, but my arms wouldn't work. Everything felt wrong, hollow, like I was a cup with the bottom broken out.
Ash broke free somehow. I heard the magical chains shatter. Felt him race toward me.
But Father raised his hand, and a barrier of light appeared between us. Ash slammed into it with a yelp of pain.
"The familiar may leave with her," Father declared to the crowd. "As you've witnessed, Elara Thornwood attempted to use forbidden dark magic to steal power from her own family. The evidence is clear."
What? My fuzzy brain struggled to understand. They stole from me—
"We had no choice but to drain the corrupted magic before it destroyed her," Caspian added smoothly, addressing the shocked guests. "Sadly, it left her... empty. Powerless."
Murmurs rippled through the ballroom. I saw it on their faces—they believed him. They actually believed the lie.
"No," I tried to say, but it came out as a whisper. "No, they're lying..."
"Elara Thornwood," Father's voice boomed. "You are hereby stripped of your family name, your title, and your place in magical society. You are exiled. If you return, you will be executed."
The words felt unreal. This couldn't be happening.
Vivienne crouched beside me, her beautiful face filled with fake concern. But when she leaned close enough that only I could hear, she whispered: "You should see your face right now. Was Caspian worth it? Was being perfect worth it?" She smiled. "Enjoy your new life, sister."
She stood and took Caspian's arm. He didn't even look at me as they walked away.
The barrier dropped. Ash was beside me instantly, his wolf form pressed against my side. I buried my fingers in his fur, the only real thing left in my shattered world.
"Everyone out," Father ordered. "The ceremony is finished."
The crowd filed away, whispering, staring. Some looked sorry. Most looked relieved it wasn't them.
Mira fought her way to me, dropping to her knees. "Elara, oh gods, Elara—"
"Get her out of my house," Father said.
Guards appeared. Human guards—I was so powerless now that they didn't even need magic to remove me.
They dragged me toward the door. Ash followed, growling at anyone who came too close. Mira held my hand until they pulled us apart.
The last thing I saw before they threw me into the street was the Thornwood estate—my home for twenty-three years—with all the lights blazing for a party that would continue without me.
I lay on the cold sidewalk in my beautiful ceremony dress, surrounded by the small pile of my belongings they'd tossed after me. No magic. No family. No future.
Just me and Ash and the crushing weight of betrayal.
But as I pressed my face against Ash's warm fur and finally let myself sob, I felt something strange.
Deep in my chest, where my magic used to be, something pulsed. Just once.
Like a heartbeat.
Like a lock clicking into place.
And in that moment of absolute loss, I didn't know that I'd just become the most dangerous thing in the magical world.
I didn't know that they hadn't stolen my power.
They'd only hidden it.
And someday—somehow—I would make them all pay.